Humanism and Education in Medieval and Renaissance Italy: Tradition and Innovation in Latin Schools from the Twelfth to the Fifteenth Century

by Robert Black

Overview

The claim, central to many interpretations of the Renaissance, that humanists introduced a revolution in the classroom is refuted in Robert Black's masterly survey, based on over 500 manuscript school books. He shows that the study of classical texts in schools reached a high point in the twelfth century, followed by a collapse in the thirteenth as universities rose in influence. It was not until the later 1400s that humanism had a significant impact in the schoolroom, as Italian teaching, particularly at elementary levels, remained strongly traditional throughout the fifteenth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521401920
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/20/2001
Pages:	506
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 1.14(d)

About the Author

Robert Black is Reader in Renaissance History at the University of Leeds.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Editorial note regarding citations from manuscripts and publications; A note on chronological terminology; Introduction; 1. Italian Renaissance education: an historical perspective; 2. The elementary school curriculum in medieval and Renaissance Italy: traditional methods and developing texts; 3. The secondary grammar curriculum; 4. Latin authors in medieval and Renaissance Italian schools: the story of a canon; 5. Reading Latin authors in medieval and Renaissance Italian schools; 6. Rhetoric and style in the school grammar syllabus; Appendices; Bibliography; Index of manuscripts; General index.

Editorial Reviews

"This book offers much valuable information about late medieval Italian Latin education....Even if the reader finds some arguments unpersuasive, he can respect the immense amount of manuscript research that has gone into the book, and the author's passionate commitment to understanding a key moment in the history of education and humanism." Renaissance Quarterly

"A major contribution to Renaissance studies...a book that should be read by all scholars and sudents of the period. Every university library should have a copy. It is truly the first comprehensive study of the educational curriculum in medieval and Renaissance Italy, based on many years of manuscript research." History

"The profundity and exactness of Black's understanding, as well as the completeness of his account, are what make the book so interesting. Black has reviewed an astounding number of manuscripts and filled his book with a great amount of valuable information." Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"Based on an impressive array of codicological evidence, this is a major study that will change our views of Italian education in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance." The Medieval Review

From the Publisher